


I cover myself with you again, and again

by vikinglord



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha!Chanyeol, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Some angst?, Werewolf AU, but with werewolves, everything else is just fluff, human!jongdae, omega!Yixing, this is just a soft christmas fic, xingdae - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vikinglord/pseuds/vikinglord
Summary: After losing a loved one and some of the nicer things in life Jongdae unexpectedly finds love and the joy of Christmas again.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27
Collections: The Xingmas Daes 2019





	I cover myself with you again, and again

**Author's Note:**

> I'VE FINALLY MANAGED TO FINISH THIS! I went into this story with close to no planning whatsoever but I'm so glad I was able finish writing this~ I've been wanting to write xingdae for ages but I never found the right opportunity to do so. I'm glad I was able to participate in this event~ Thank you Mod K for putting the event together and for helping us out every step of the way. Also thank you to my twitter dad, P, for all her amazing ideas that got all my creativity flowing. I honestly wouldn't have been able to finish this without you. 
> 
> Also a heads up for anyone, there is some violence involved but not enough for me to tag it. But if you think it would still make you icky then consider this your warning.
> 
> Title from VIXX - Scentist

The sound of ruffling leaves was what had brought him out there. Standing in the snow covered backyard, he could just about make out a shadowy figure on the other side of the fence where the vastness of the woods lay. Its large yellow eyes stared back in the most chilling way. But for some reason, the thirteen year old boy was drawn to them.

“Who are you?” he asked, stepping closer to the barrier that separated them, the shadow’s face peeking through the gaps in the fence.

The yellow eyes blinked.

“Dae.” his brother’s voice broke through from behind him making him turn around, “Who were you talking to?” 

“Huh?” Jongdae turned back towards the fence to look at the figure but it was nowhere in sight, “Oh. No one.” he said, shaking his head, heading back into the house. Maybe he just imagined it.

. . .

Christmas at grandmas was always a fun affair. For Jongdae and his brother it was like one of the main highlights of the year, second only to summer beach outings. A full two weeks away at this small town at the far outskirts of the city of Seoul, where they have all the time in the world to do whatever they liked. It was just what two young hyperenergetic boys need in their lives.

Winter of ‘97 was when he found his first pet, a harlequin rabbit that he’d found in the woods. It was a small creature shivering in the cold and Jongdae just had to bring it inside, although their companionship only lasted so long since the very next year when they came to visit grandma again, the rabbit leaped out of Jongdae’s hands the moment he got out of the car and sprinted towards the depths of the woods. Jongdae had cried, thinking of his lost friend.

2000 was when he’d gotten his first kiss. It was Mrs. Park’s daughter who’d come up to him first at the Christmas dinner part his grandma had hosted for all friends and family. She’d pointed at the mistletoe above his head and given him a chaste on the lips. Jongdae could die of embarrassment every time he thought of how his entire family must’ve been watching, although at the time he’d bragged about it to his school friends. It was quite an achievement for a seven grader.

He’d made quite the memories in his gran’s house, both good and bad, and it remained the place that he returned to every year. This time, the occasion was not celebratory. It had been four months since his grandmother had passed away, it was a peaceful death in her bed in this very house. They’d had a quiet burial for her in Seoul where all her family could visit. Later that evening Jongdae would find out that his grandma had left her house and most of its belongings to him, the youngest grandchild.

His father had suggested he take a proper look at the house before deciding what to do with it. So, here he was with all the stuff a broke freelancer like him could possibly own at twenty seven years of age packed away in the trunk of his car. He’d moved out of his dingy apartment the moment his contract ended and drove straight to this house. The huge old fashioned villa was everything someone his age could dream of having and yet when he entered the place it had him feeling desolate and empty.

He spent the afternoon dragging his stuff inside, trying to keep his mind void of any thoughts. Moving into a new place took a lot more effort than he'd anticipated and by sundown he could feel his muscles screaming at him so he stopped and slumped down on a sofa, staring at the new addition of his possessions to the house. 

His grandma's house was a little further away from the main town in the area. They probably won't deliver here. Jongdae sighed before taking his jacket and heading out into the silent of the night.

Though Jongdae had spent quite a lot of time there, he could never get used to how eerie it got at night. All the houses in the area were spaced apart and surrounded by the shrubbery of the woods. It was late November and the front yard was nothing short of a white winter wonderland. Jongdae's boots dipped into soft, delicate snow leaving deep footprints in their wake. It was dark as Jongdae started his trek uphill, the thin crescent moon not nearly enough to light up the place.

The path to the town was completely deserted and Jongdae could make out the slightest rustling of leaves from the trees that lined both sides. He paid it no mind, deciding to focus on the road instead. But the rustling started getting louder and louder still until the sound of his own breathing was morphed by it.

He panicked. "Who's there?"

The air around him seemed to have gotten colder and in one brief moment he was forced on to the ground, a heavy weight pinning him down. He could feel the heat radiating from the body laying on top of him. He thrashed his hands around trying to get it off of him only to come in contact with… fur?

Indeed. The thing holding him down wasn't human. It had the face of a wolf except it was so much bigger with almost human like expressions. Especially those red eyes. They looked so expressive, it felt unreal.

The giant wolf's muzzle hovered close to his face. Saw like teeth barred at him only inches away from his flesh. The wolf growled. Jongdae shut his eyes, preparing himself for the attack---

A howl sounded in the distance.

He couldn't prepare himself before a second wolf sprinted over, knocking over the red eyed wolf away from Jongdae. A weird sense of deja vu creeped over him as he watched the new, smaller wolf trying to take down the larger and more fierce wolf. Jongdae had half a heart to stay and make sure that it would survive the fight. But the wolf turned around and trained it's golden yellow eyes onto him before growling at him. Jongdae got the message loud and clear.

Leave.

. . .

The donut shop in the town was the same as he last remembered it. The few customers that were around kept to themselves as Jongdae took a stool in front of the bar. The lady behind the counter recognised him as Mrs. Kim's grandson and gave him an extra jam donut. 

They were busy making small talk when a guy clad in all black heavy leather came and took the stool beside him. The guy made his order before slumping down onto the bar top, his head resting on his arms as he closed his eyes. Jongdae could make out his eyelashes that fluttered over a high bridged nose until his gaze landed on a bright red scab on the cheek.

"That must hurt a lot." Jongdae hissed.

The stranger's eyes snapped open before he sat up straight, staring at Jongdae wide eyed with surprise? Or fear? Or wonder? Jongdae couldn't tell. Maybe it was all three. There was just something so intense in those eyes. No longer being able to hold the other's gaze, Jongdae broke the eye contact and looked away. 

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, frowning at his hands. Maybe the guy didn't want random strangers prying into his life.

"It's not--" the guy started and Jongdae instinctively looked up, "It's not that bad. It will heal up soon." he looked sheepish but gave a smile when he saw Jongdae looking at him, displaying the more gorgeous dimples ever. Jongdae had to restrain himself from staring at them for too long.

"I sure hope so." Jongdae said, staring at his box of donuts. Definitely not a good choice for a dinner but oh well. The two of them ate in silence until it was time for both of them to leave.

. . .

The air outside has gotten colder somehow and while the walk downhill was easier, it certainly wasn't without its difficulties. Jongdae had to stop at the side of the road to catch his breath. He should've just used his car.

He was in the middle of panting with his hands on his knees when he heard the sound of an engine and a bright yellow light coming his way. A silver motorbike emerged in the view with its lean looking driver behind the handle. The vehicle stopped right next to him and the driver took off his helmet, his dyed blonde hair spilling out.

"If you're headed downhill then I could give you a ride." The driver said flashing his teeth.

Getting a ride from a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere. Yeah... Jongdae would pass.

"Thanks for the offer. But I think I'll be alright." Jongdae said.

The stranger raised his eyebrows "Are you sure? There are all sorts of wild animals lurking around here at this time of the night. There's snakes, boars and there's." he paused "wolves."

Jongdae shuddered. The accident from earlier flashed in his mind. "You know what on second thought," He all but squealed as hurried towards the motorbike, "I'll take you up on that offer."

The motorbike ride was nothing like anything Jongdae had experienced before. The feeling of the cold air rushing past them and the rush of adrenaline felt too good to be true.

"I'm Chanyeol, by the way." The driver, Chanyeol, spoke up, breaking through Jongdae's thoughts. 

"I'm Jongdae." he managed to say back while he tried to maintain his balance while holding onto the back of the bike. There was no way he was hugging the stranger.

They sped down the path through the dark of the night while making light chatter along the way. By the time they reached the house, Jongdae was freezing and wanting nothing more than to climb in bed and bury himself there. Still, he waited long enough to thank Chanyeol for the ride.

"I'll see you around I guess." he said waving for the last time before finally closing the door.

. . .

The howls of the wolves were unrelentless throughout the night. The well deserved sleep that he hoped for never came. Instead, he lay bundled up in blankets, thinking of how empty the house felt without his brother nagging him or his father and uncles talking in his loud boisterous voice. But mostly because of the absence of his grandma who was the binding force that kept the family together for so many years. Without her magnetic presence, everything felt so broken apart, so torn, so incomplete.

The family was still in mourning and there would be no holiday gathering this time. It was just Jongdae in this huge empty house all alone with the howling of wild animals for company.

Some time during the night, Jongdae did eventually fall asleep. Only waking up in the most awkward position when the sun's bright beam hit him directly in the eye. He blinked at the wide open window, groaning as he tumbled out of bed towards it. The bedroom he chose was the one him and his brother used to share whenever they visited. It was at the very end of the hallway on the first floor offering a view of the backyard from above.

Beyond the snow covered area guarded by a wall of wooden fence was an open space that led to the beginnings of the woods. This open space was where Jongdae noticed it. A wolf. It looked small and fragile for such a ferocious creature and by the way it was limping it looked like it was hurt. Although Jongdae was still shaken by the encounter with wolves last night his heart couldn't help but ache seeing such a timid creature.

He made up his mind and grabbed a coat before heading downstairs and out in the backyard. Soft snow seeped around his slippers as he walked to the fence and picked up the loose plank so he could slide through it. The sight that awaited him made him stagger in his step.

On the white snow covered ground where the wolf should have been lay a full grown man, naked as can be. He looked to be only half conscious, his body shivering involuntarily due to the cold. His skin pale with the exception of the one giant gash on his left leg. The same leg that the wolf was limping with, Jongdae realised. He didn't want to make any assumption yet. There was a naked man who could possibly die of hypothermia and needed saving.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Jongdae took off his coat before wrapping the man in it and hauling him up with all the strength he could muster. Dragging the man along with him, he made his way back in the house through the fence slit. Once inside, he turned up the heating and laid the stranger on the couch. 

He had a soft looking face and although all the blood seemed to have drained out of his skin he still maintained a warm aura. Jongdae noticed a faint scar on his cheek where his eyelashes rested. He suddenly realised with a start that he'd seen a similar scar. This was the dimpled stranger from last night. Now that he paid attention to all his features, he almost hit himself for not recognising him before. 

The scar on his face was so faint it seemed ancient, even though Jongdae had just seen the fresh scab last night. No normal human could heal that fast. Jongdae shuddered. 

The stranger groaned almost as if in pain, interrupting Jongdae's train of thought and effectively bringing his attention towards the raw flesh oozing out of his leg wound. Right, I should take care of that first.

Half an hour later, Jongdae had the stranger dressed in some of his looser fitting clothes and was working on cleaning the wound. The stranger had constantly been moving around, sometimes even hissing in his sleep. Jongdae was considering taking him to a nearby hospital when he suddenly opened his eyes. They shone golden yellow. Jongdae gasped and almost fell from his chair but the stranger just fell back into sleep after a moment leaving Jongdae to stare in horror.

What was that?

Super healing. Yellow eyes. Lying naked in the place of a wolf. All these things spelled 'WEREWOLF' in big bold letters and yet his mind refused to acknowledge it. It couldn't be real.

He looked at the man on his sofa again. Even if they were real werewolves were supposed to be big and dangerous this man looked far from anything mildly dangerous especially with how he was wrapped in Jongdae's fluffy blue blanket. Jongdae chuckled lightly at that. His heart melted immediately. Cute. 

He sat down to clean other's wound again and wrap it in gauze before rolling down the trouser a covering him fully with the blanket. He was very much aware of the fact that he had a potentially dangerous creature in his house. He sent a silent prayer for his family. If he must die then let it be here all by himself at the hands of a werewolf.

. . .

Yixing woke up to the sound of a kettle whistling in the distance. He tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes before he realised he wasn't in a familiar surrounding. The blanket he was covered with, the clothes he wore even the living room he was in was unfamiliar. But all of it felt so familiar. His wolf had never been this calm. 

A sudden scent entered the room and Yixing eyes snapped open. He was wide awake now. And he knew very well whose place this was. The soft heady vanilla scent belonged to one person who could have such an effect over him. The said person walked in the very next second, rolling out a trolley in front of him.

"Oh hey, you're awake." He said in his bright chirpy voice, "I was about to wake you up anyway."

Yixing didn't answer and instead just stared at him. It seemed that each year that the other visited he got even more beautiful. He'd grown from being an awkward looking teenager into a full grown man. His shoulders had filled out and his facial features had become sharper but the softness of his smile remained.

"Wait I just realised that I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kim Jongdae."

I know. Yixing thought. "I'm Zhang Yixing." He said instead.

"Well, Yixing there are several questions I should be asking you right now." Yixing froze up, "But I'll leave them for another time. Right now you should be eating. You've lost a lot of blood." He said, handing Yixing a cup of hot chocolate. 

Yixing thought of the fight he got in earlier with the rogue wolf. No wonder he passed out for so long. No sane omega would try to engage in a head on fight a giant male alpha like that. Jongdae must've found him in the woods and helped him. "Thank you for your help but I should be leaving now." He said, knowing that he shouldn't be staying there for long, the heavy vanilla scent was already starting to get to him. If he stayed any longer who knows what his wolf might do.

He was about to get up when two arms on his shoulders stopped him. Yixing almost whimpered at the close contact. "Don't you think you owe me an explanation for all of this before you leave?"

. . .

Jongdae didn't know what came over him when he blurted that out. He immediately regretted it when he saw the horrified look on Yixing's face. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." He let go of the other, looked down at the food before firmly thrusting the cup of hot chocolate from earlier into the other's hands. "Here. You may have super healing but you're not strong enough to walk around just yet."

He saw Yixing's eyes widen in surprise at that, "What else do you know?" His words came out cautious as he took a seat back on the couch.

"I've seen you transform from a wolf into…" Jongdae gestured towards him, "I can't possibly think what else would I need to know." 

Yixing laughed lightly, a small dry sound but Jongdae appreciated the change of atmosphere, "This is the part where I spell it out for you. I'm a werewolf." His eyes flashed yellow for a second and any doubt that Jongdae had about the other's identity vanished into thin air.

Jongdae sat down next to him. No longer afraid. "I've met you before haven't I? Several times. Your wolf, I mean." Jongdae looked down at his hands, "You saved me last night from that red eyed wolf. That was you right?"

He looked up to see Yixing nod. 

"Was that a werewolf too?" Jongdae asked cautiously.

"Yes." Yixing nodded again, "But he won't attack you again."

"Why would he attack me in the first place?"

"It's hard to explain." Yixing paused, "He's been having this clash with me ever since he moved here. Last night he took it out on you I guess."

"Why?" Jongdae asked, "Why me?"

He saw Yixing visibly pale, "I--- Because you're my mate." he almost whispered.

"What?!" Jongdae practically yelled, standing up to put some distance between them. "Mate? I'm willing to believe all this crazy werewolf shit but don't you think this is too much?"

Yixing brows drew together in a frown, "You don't have to believe it if don't want to." It was the first time Jongdae had seen anger on his face. Was it really anger or was it just frustration? "Besides omegas aren't supposed to have mates so it doesn't matter anyway."

"Look I don't care about all your alpha omega BS. Just keep me the fuck out of all of this!"

Yixing's eyes flashed with anger before he too stood up, "You were the one who asked! Also it's not something that I'm making up but it's fine if you don't care." With that he strode out, slamming the front door on his way.

. . .

It had been a couple days since Jongdae's direct encounter with Yixing. And although he regretted lashing out at the other, he was glad that he didn't run into him again. Jongdae had finally started to settle in a routine and he didn't want anything to mess that up for him.

He mostly holed himself up in his room either working or reading something. He was starting to enjoy living at his grandma's place. The calm and quiet that surrounded him was exactly what he needed and so getting himself lost in it was just that easy. By the time the weekend rolled around he had gone through most of the supplies he'd brought with him. Jongdae sighed as he looked at the empty pantry. Guess I'll have to go grocery shopping.

Shopping for groceries didn't turn out to be the most exciting affair. For a town so small, it sure had a huge supermarket which was packed to the brim with people. It was as if everyone in town had decided to show up there at the same time. Jongdae had to manoeuvre between throngs of people while going over his list. He was in the middle of crossing out peanut butter when his bumped into someone.

"Jongdae?" The voice was oddly familiar. Jongdae looked up to see Park Chanyeol with his obnoxious blonde hair spilling out from under his cap which he wore backwards. Jongdae scoffed.

"Hey." he said.

"What a coincidence! I went to your house earlier. I thought I'd check up on you but I'm guessing you weren't home. I didn't expect to run into you here." Chanyeol remarked, leaning against one of the shelves to make way for people passing by.

Jongdae turned towards the shelves too, pretending to be interested in the jar of pickles in front of him, "You went to my house?"

"Yeah. There isn't much to do around here for someone our age but I still thought I'd show you around."

Jongdae smiled, "But I'm here doing groceries like the bore that I am."

"We could still go for coffee after this." Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at him as if to ask if he's up for it.

"Okay sure."

And so there they were, sitting on a window side booth sipping on warm cappuccino while watching pedestrians pass by. Chanyeol had turned out to be just as loud and enthusiastic as Jongdae last remembered it. He couldn't let more than a minute of silence pass between them without interjecting with some new topic. Jongdae felt much warmer and it wasn't just the coffee.

"Okay so," Chanyeol started, "I wanted to give you something and I know rice cakes are supposed to traditional but I can't cook for shit so… I got this instead." He pulled out a small box and slid it towards him across the table. "The lady I bought it from told me it was for good luck."

Jongdae carefully opened the box which revealed a red string bracelet with a Chinese knot at the end and a green stone hanging from it. "Thank you. I really like it." And he did. It was rare that someone would put so much thought into a gift. Although it was a little strange considering they didn't know each other that well, Jongdae decided not to dwell on it for too long and wore it on his left hand.

He was met was Chanyeol's blinding smile. "I'm glad." They chatted for a little longer before Chanyeol had to leave. Jongdae stayed a while longer in the cafe before he too decided it was time he got back home. 

. . .

"Kim Jongdae?" Jongdae did a double take. There was definitely a man standing in front of his porch when there hadn't been a soul in sight just a second ago. He saw his eyes zero in on his hand before they were back on his face.

"I-- yes." He was in the middle of taking the last of his groceries inside so he dumped it in the hallway before emerging again. "Do I know you?"

The man smiled at him before extending a hand. "I'm Kim Junmyeon. I've heard a great deal about you from Yixing. Didn't think I'd actually get to see you."

Yixing.

Hearing the name did something inside him. It wasn't like he didn't think about the other during these past few days. He may have thought about him a lot more than he would like to admit. He also may have been expecting the other to show up at some point only to be disappointed when he didn't.

"You know Yixing?" Jongdae said, carefully. Although he'd been researching about werewolves and had grown somewhat partial to idea, it was still daunting when he was actually faced with one. And if Junmyeon knew Yixing, the chances of him being a werewolf was really high especially with him studying Jongdae with a gaze that almost looked carnivorous.

"I do." Junmyeon laughed a little, completely breaking his dangerous looking demeanour, "We've been… " he paused as if searching for the right word, "friends for a long time."

Jongdae nodded, "How is he?" He'd been wondering that for some time. He knew Yixing must have some amazing healing ability but he couldn't help but wonder. He was definitely not worrying. Just wondering.

He saw Junmyeon smirk at him, as if he could hear the inner conflict he was having, "Why don't you find out yourself? I was just heading home, you could come with me." So they live together. That must mean they're from the same pack, right?

Jongdae wondered for a moment, looking at the sinking sun. It was getting late and heading out with someone he just met would be reckless but somehow his curiosity won and he did exactly that. He'd read so much about wolves and their pack system in the past week that he couldn't help but be fascinated by it. He wanted to see it for himself.

Junmyeon led him through the woods, talking to him along the way. Jongdae had a lot of questions brewing in his head once he confirmed that he was in fact a werewolf and one if Yixing's packmates but he was glad he was able kept most of them to himself or he would've come across as annoying. Junmyeon was the second werewolf he'd met and his laid back nature and easy jokes were doing a lot to shatter the image that Jongdae had of his kind.

They reached their destination after almost half and hour of trekking but while chatting along the way it almost felt like nothing. Jongdae looked up to properly see the pack house. It was a double storey building styled like a hut except it was so much bigger. The woody hut like style was probably a deliberate choice since it was what someone would expect a hut in the middle of the woods to look like and would probably attract less attention. Junmyeon had briefly talked about the pack and how there was a total of ten of them so that explained that huge size of the building.

They headed inside and Jongdae was immediately hit by a mixture of scents. Other than having increased ability of smell, werewolves tended to let out their own distinct scent. With the concentration of that many werewolves in the same house even Jongdae's mediocre human nose could pick up the scents.

They walked through the hallway and Jongdae paused to appreciate some of the vintage interior. Polished wood and warm lights were everywhere and Jongdae couldn't help but feel warm himself. Junmyeon caught him looking at the place with interest, "Hey, you wanna look around for a bit? Then we can go look for Yixing."

Jongdae didn't even hesitate, "Yes please."

They walked along the rest of the hallway as Junmyeon talked about the history of this house while pointing at doors and telling Jongdae what rooms they were. Right at the end of the hallway was the common living room area and Jongdae was prepared to get ambushed the moment he stepped inside.

There were people all over him in a second. Some standing in front of him, eyeing his entire body while others straight up getting right into his personal space leaving almost no place to breathe. All of them speaking at the same time, too fast for Jongdae's brain to comprehend. "Sehun!" He heard Junmyeon yell when one of them started tugging at his bracelet.

"We. Do. Not. Scare. Our. Guests. Like. That." Anger laced with every word as Junmyeon spoke, scaring the tall lanky boy enough that he maintained a certain distance from both of them. He then turned towards Jongdae, "I'm sorry for that. We don't really have a lot of guests here and they tend to get excited."

He then proceeded to introduce everyone. Sehun was skinny kid who he'd scolded earlier. A beta. Jongin was the rather shy one. An omega. Hyejin was the alpha loud girl who sent the biggest smiles. Hanging off of her was her mate, Baekhyun. Another alpha. Kyungsoo was the small omega in huge glasses. Byulyi was the beta who had kept the most distance from him (Jongdae couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not). And finally Yongsun, Byulyi's mate. Also a beta.

"There's just Minseok and Yixing left." Baekhyun commented once Junmyeon was done introducing everyone.

"I expect they'll show up for dinner." Kyungsoo said before turning towards Jongdae, "You're staying for dinner, right?"

He was just about to decline when Sehun interrupted him, "Of course he is!" he grabbed his arm, "I'll show him the rest of the place." He said to Junmyeon and dragged Jongdae away and up the stairs.

"Yixing's been talking about his mate for so long it's hard to imagine that we're finally getting to see you." Sehun looked so excited but Jongdae cringed at the word mate.

"I'm not his mate." He said.

Sehun looked at him, his mood suddenly turning down making Jongdae feel bad for saying anything at all. "Right." He said, His eyes briefly flitting to Jongdae's bracelet which made Jongdae unconsciously touch it.

He decided to divert the conversation, "So, Sehun. Don't you have a mate or someone you like?" From what he gathered from Junmyeon, most omegas didn't have a mate but every alpha and beta did. It was how their nature worked. But from some reason he hadn't heard anyone talk about Sehun's mate.

He saw the younger go a little sheepish, "I might. Who knows? I just haven't found them yet and I'm not really actively looking for a mate right now either. I'm not even sure if I even want one."

"Oh." Jongdae didn't expect the other to open up to him like that, "Well, so long you're happy."

Sehun gave him a genuine smile.

"Oh look Yixing's room is right here." They'd walked a good way past the stairs and Sehun was pointing at a door next to them. Without waiting for Jongdae to say anything or even without knocking Sehun opened the door wide, revealing a tired looking Yixing sitting at the corner of a bed looking right at them. At Jongdae more specifically. As if he sensed him before he'd even entered the room.

His eyes were bloodshot red as he stared him down with a sour expression before turning to Sehun, "When will you learn to knock?"

"Jongdae wanted to see you." Sehun said and then turned towards Jongdae, "He's been grumpy ever since you turned him down."

Jongdae couldn't even react before a pillow came flying towards them and hit Sehun smack on the head. "Out!" Yixing all but growled, sending the younger out of the room and leaving just the two of them.

Jongdae looked at the door, contemplation whether he should leave too before Yixing spoke again, "Why are you here?" His voice was much softer now but Jongdae could tell he was keeping his guard up.

Jongdae ignored the question and instead went to sit on the other side of the bed, taking in his surroundings. Yixing's room was plain white with a few accents of beige splashed around. One corner housed all sorts of music equipment from microphones to a keyboard to a range of guitars. Jongdae didn't take Yixing for someone who'd be interested in music but then again they barely knew anything about each other.

"How's your leg?" He asked after a while.

"Better."

"Good."

They stared at each other for a long time. Both of them wanting to say something but it was hard to put into words so instead they stayed like that, reveling in the other's presence. They didn't realise how long they stayed that way but then a knock sounded outside the door pulling them out of their trance.

"Dinner's ready. Get downstairs quickly or all the food will be gone!" It was Byulyi who was calling them.

Jongdae's face heated up. Suddenly realising how long he'd been staring at the mn before him. He scratched the back of his neck while looking down, "I guess we should get going."

They headed downstairs while avoiding each other's gazes. The kitchen was almost empty save for Junmyeon and a round face man who looked like they'd been interrupted in the middle of something. "Sorry." Jongdae tried to back out. Yixing had already disappeared from behind him.

"Oh Jongdae!" Junmyeon exclaimed a little too loud, "Have you met Minseok?"

"I have now." Jongdae smiled at the other alpha. Junmyeon and Minseok had brought this pack together after the original pack had started to dwindle. They'd been together since they could remember and then being mates wasn't even a surprise for anyone. Jongdae knew all of this from what Junmyeon had told him earlier and the way the older wolf was going on about his mate made it clear how much he cared for him.

After a little small talk Jongdae helped them set the table even though both of them insisted they didn't need help. Once the food was set everyone else started to trickle into the dining area, drawn by the wonderful smell of the food that Kyungsoo had cooked earlier. Junmyeon added an extra seat for Jongdae which just so happened to be right next to Yixing.

Jongdae tried to ignore all the teasing looks everyone sent their way and tried to enjoy the food. Werewolves as it happened were very loud even while eating. There was a constant buzz of conversation on the table and Jongdae couldn't help reminisce all the family dinners in the past. It was strange how these people had been complete strangers to him but somehow they made him feel so warm.

He turned his head away after pausing his discussion with Jongin who sat in front of him only to catch Yixing looking at him. He had this soft expression on his face, his dimple peeking through just the slightest. But the expression was gone as soon as it came, replaced by a flushed look at having being caught. Jongdae chuckled to himself. Yixing had gained a lot more colour than when he'd last seen him and Jongdae couldn't help but admire how good he looked.

The rest of the dinner passed with them eating and talking to anyone but each other. Their elbows bumped a few times but everything else passed by smoothly. By the time they were done eating Jongdae was grinning ear to ear. It had been a while since he'd had such a good time. And it seemed that everyone seemed to like him too. He'd already been asked to come over again by them multiple times. 

Junmyeon was the one who saw him out. "It was really nice having you here. I know you must be tired of all the mate jokes you had to hear all night. But I think you shouldn't reject the idea just yet. Give Yixing a chance if you can. " Jongdae smiled at him, not knowing what to say before the other spoke again, "Also I don't think I need to say this but you do know that you can't tell anyone about us, right?"

Jongdae grinned, "Of course. But if I accidentally let it slip? What will you guys do to me then?" He joked.

"It's better if don't know." Came a voice from behind them. Yixing stood staring at him with a challenging look.

Jongdae almost shuddered when his eyes flashed yellow. He immediately stepped back, nodding dumbly. "I think I'll leave now."

"Yixing will take you home." Junmyeon said.

"What? No. I'll be fine on my own."

"It's really dark and there's all sorts of things out at night." Yixing said, standing on the porch already ready to take his clothes off.

"What are you doing?" Jongdae squealed, covering his eyes.

"I need to take my clothes off before I transform."

Jongdae hadn't realised what Junmyeon meant by 'Yixing will take you home' he meant that he'll have to ride on his wolf's back. Once the initial fear was over, however, Jongdae grew more comfortable as his slid his hands between Yixing's soft, dark fur. He buried his face in the fur, letting the warmth coming off of him consume him along with the familiar sweet scent that he couldn't quite place but he'd started associating with the other.

Cold air cut through from his sides but Jongdae buried himself further into Yixing's fur. It was the most surreal experience he'd possibly ever had and although they were going over some rough terrain Yixing made sure to make the ride as smooth as possible for him. They made it back surprisingly fast and soon Jongdae was standing in front of his front door. Yixing had thoughtfully brought his clothes with him in bag strapped around him and was dressed again before Jongdae could even blink.

"Thank you for getting me home safe." Jongdae started, the air between them was still a little awkward but he tried to overcome it by giving the other a genuine smile.

Yixing smiled back. Dimples and all before his gaze landed on the red bracelet that Jongdae was still wearing. He stepped a little closer to him, examining the bracelet, "You know for someone who's so apprehensive of the entire mating system you're sure going around accepting courting gifts."

"W-what?" Jongdae was completely thrown off by that.

Yixing brought his hand up to light graze his left hand where the red knot sat peacefully. "He didn't tell you did he? The wolf who gave you this."

Wolf? Jongdae's head was hammering. Chanyeol wasn't a wolf was he? Then again, Yixing would know better. He knew about how when a werewolf pursues someone they gave them a courting gift typically a piece of jewellery. Jongdae like the idiot he was, wore someone's courting gift without even knowing it and flaunted it in front of everyone.

"If you don't want it… can I take it off?" Yixing seemed to hesitate a little. But Jongdae could tell he that he couldn't wait to rip it off of him. He nodded. Although he liked the gift, he definitely didn't appreciate how he was kept in the dark about the significance of it.

Yixing took it off carefully, "Do you know why it's red?"

Realisation suddenly dawned up him, " The red eyed wolf?" It couldn't be. But somehow it made sense.

"He came here a few months ago after losing his mate. Ever since then he's been looking around for a new one. But wolves can only either mate with other wolves or humans that are mates of other wolves. Which is probably why he went after you."

"He went after you too right? He would've thought he could dominate an omega." Yixing nodded, "This is just so sick. Why does he need a mate so bad?"

"It's a thing with alphas who've been bonded to their mates for a long time. Once their mate dies their wolf becomes rapid since it has depended on another wolf for so long. The only options are either get rid of their wolf part which is extremely hard and almost always results in death or to find yourself another wolf to mate with."

"Oh. That's just cruel."

"It's just how it is." Yixing said, before looking at Jongdae's grave expression, "Hey, call me if there's an emergency okay?" He pulled out a piece of post it with his number on it, "Chanyeol may be a half decent person for all we know but there's no knowing what his wolf might do."

Jongdae nodded looking at the other, a smile making its way across his face, "Thank you. I will. You be careful on your way back."

Yixing matched his smile, "I will." He said before he waved goodbye and ducked out towards the woods again, leaving Jongdae to stare at his retreating back.

. . .

Jongdae was bored. Since Christmas was approaching there wasn't much work for him and he had absolutely nothing to do. He'd tried watching something but not even halfway through he realised he wasn't into it. He rolled around on his bed before his eyes landed on the post it from last night on the bedside table.

Without thinking he failed up the number on his phone and waited for it to ring a few calls before it was finally picked up.

"Hello." Jongdae tried not to think how good his voice sounded.

"Hey, Yixing it's me."

"Jongdae?" 

"Yeah." Jongdae played with the loose threading of the sofa, "You said to call if there was an emergency."

He could hear Yixing going tense, "What is it?" 

Jongdae laughed soundlessly, "It's me. I'm bored." He dragged out the last word while also pouting for effect even though the other couldn't.

Yixing let out a sigh, "I thought you were gonna die or something. I'm at work right now I can't really do much to help with your boredom. Try calling someone else?"

"But out of everyone here I only have your number." Jongdae whined, "How come you're still working. Doesn't everything shut down a couple weeks before Christmas?"

Yixing hummed, "I guess but the central library doesn't. I've got two more days before the holidays start for me."

"You work at a library? Are you the librarian?" Jongdae was already picturing Yixing in a soft sleeveless sweater wearing round glasses to fit the stereotypical image of a librarian. Cute.

"Assistant librarian actually." Yixing said before some noise started coming from his side, "Hey, I gotta go right now. Get out of your house, you'll probably find something to do about this boredom of yours. Anyway, Bye."

Following what Yixing had said, Jongdae managed to get out of his house. He ended up driving to the town and making his way to the library. It was afternoon so Yixing should be on break soon. Jongdae didn't know why but he felt compelled to get to know the other better. Maybe it was what Junmyeon had said that made him want to give him a chance. Also he was just a little curious to see what he looked like at work. 

The library was fairly big, divided into two storeys and Yixing was at the second floor as some of the staff told him. So, Jongdae took the spiral stairs up. The upper floor was more vintage looking than the ground floor which had a more contemporary aesthetic going. Jongdae stopped to admire the tall wooden shelves that had tiny spaces in between where one could cosy up.

He was busy admiring a shelf of his favourite classics when he the sound of children laughing caught his attention. Curious, he turned around the corner to see a round rug where about a dozen children sat, all dressed up in holiday themed clothing with some of them even going as far as to wearing reindeer headbands. The children were focused on man sitting on a low seat holding a book in front of him. Jongdae smiled when he recognised the dimpled smile and sat down behind the children.

Yixing was too focused on reading the story to his audience that he didn't even notice him. He took his time to read every sentence so the kids would understand and patiently answered all the questions they would throw at him. It was when he was finally done that he looked up and noticed Jongdae. He narrowed his eyes, a strange confused amusement taking over his expression.

The kids soon scattered, waving goodbye to Yixing as the left while Jongdae sat and waited until they were alone. "You actually came all the way here?" Yixing let out a breathy laugh. 

"I told you I had nothing to do didn't I?"

Yixing shaked his head, "Come on. I'll give you something to do." He got up and gave Jongdae a hand to help him stand up. 

They made their way to the very back of the library that had a mini cafe. Nursing their hot chocolates, they took the only empty table.

"So what is the assistant librarian doing reading stories to kids?" Jongdae started puffing out a smoke of cold breath over his warm drink.

"The volunteer who usually does this called in sick so I had to fill in, last minute." Yixing shrugged.

Jongdae knocked his foot with his lightly under the table, "You did really good."

That immediately left a smile on the other's face. "I'm glad I got your approval one way or another." Yixing joked, leaving Jongdae a little flustered.

What was this? Did they just flirt? Or was this just a casual conversation? Jongdae was busy contemplating this when he felt Yixing's feet come in contact with his. It wasn't even hitting, more like stroking (?). Okay they were definitely flirting.

He couldn't help but turn a little red at that. It was strange how amicable Yixing was once he warmed up to him a little. They talked about college, work, family and basically anything that they could in the one hour they sat together. Jongdae was surprised to find he'd grown a little disappointed when Yixing had to leave to finish off a few things before taking the rest of the day off. 

He didn't have to wait long, however, and soon they were on their way back in Jongdae's car. The car ride seemed to pass by in a breeze and Yixing like the gentleman he was came to see Jongdae to the door before he could be on his way to the woods.

"I could've dropped you off at your house you know." Jongdae couldn't understand why Yixing won't let him.

"I'm sorry but I don't think your car would survive the trip. The only vehicle that can would be Minseok's truck." Yixing shrugged.

"I would very much like to see it one day." Jongdae laughed, "So~ I'll see you again?"

Yixing nodded, "Yeah. See you~" 

Yixing had started to back away when Jongdae stepped over to him. In the slightest of moments he'd gotten close enough to reach over and place a soft peck against Yixing's cheek. It was over in a second and Jongdae stopped for long enough to take in Yixing's surprised expression before slipping inside with short "Bye".

Oh God. He felt like a schoolgirl with a crush. The way his heart was beating was absolutely cruel but at least he left Yixing feeling somewhat similar.

. . .

After that day they'd kept in contact. A lot. They'd text everyday and had even gone out a couple times although both of them were too cowardly to call these outings as 'dates'. But there had definitely been some kissing involved.

It was a Sunday morning when Jongdae uncharacteristically woke up early and was about to make cereal for himself when he heard the doorbell go off. He went over to open the door and found Yixing standing in front of him, arms full of bags while he had a huge purple scarf that was almost covering his face.

"Hurry it's freezing out here!" He made his way in as soon as Jongdae stepped aside.

Jongdae laughed, "Hey yourself. What's the special occasion for this early morning visit may I ask?"

He followed Yixing as he hurried to the living room to set the bags down. "I brought food." He said, "I hope you haven't eaten anything already. There's this new breakfast place that everyone's been raving about so I had to check it out."

Jongdae's mouth salivated when he saw the bagels and pastries that Yixing was pulling out. "And here I was about to have whole grain cereal. You're a blessing Zhang Yixing." Jongdae said with a peck near his lips.

They sat down and had their fill of unhealthy breakfast treats along with the coffee Yixing had brought while watching soap serial reruns. Jongdae had gone and fetched them a blanket that they could snuggle in, their cold feet tangled underneath it as they leaned into each other.

Yixing smelled like vanilla and cake and coffee all at the same time and Jongdae couldn't help but get closer. He watched how his eyes shone from the reflection of the TV and how he could make out the angle of his eyelashes how they fluttered when he blinked. He looked so beautiful from where Jongdae was resting his head on his chest. He honestly spend a lifetime looking at him.

"Jongdae." Yixing suddenly tore his gaze away from the TV to look at him, "You're staring."

Jongdae blushed, "It's hard not to." He leaned up to brush his lips lightly with his, "You're just so starable."

Yixing pressed closer, harder. He met his lips with an enraged desire as he slowly coaxed his mouth open. There was such fire in the kiss that it seeped throughout their body leaving them wanting more. Jongdae sucked at Yixing's bottom lip. It always looked to soft and plush to look at that he had to restrain himself from kissing it all the time.

They spend the entire day snuggling and occasionally making out. And honestly Jongdae couldn't have asked for something better. It was the longest that they'd spent time together and somehow they just fit in with each other so well. Jongdae managed to convince Yixing to stay longer by offering him food. Thankfully the other didn't say a word when he whipped out packets of ramen because that was the only thing Jongdae could trust himself to 'cook'.

Yixing just stood watching him with an amused expression, helping him fetch things he needed. Once the ramen was done, they took the pot upstairs to the terrace from where they could see the sun dipping into the horizon as the dark of the night took over. They watched the sun set in silence. The calm and peace of the company had him feeling overwhelmed and oh so in love.

The latter was a completely new revelation, something that left even him, baffled for a second. But the more he looked at Yixing the more he couldn't deny it. He was everything and more that Jongdae could want in a man. And maybe it was the werewolf magic that rubbed off on him but he was starting to feel so strongly bonded to him. It was like fate.

He couldn't help his frown when Yixing broke through his reverie and told him that had to leave. He didn't know why but be had this crazy feeling of keeping the other to himself. You could almost call him possessive. But he didn't force him to stay any longer and prepared himself for another night all by himself.

. . .

Jongdae woke up with a start. There was growling near his ear, harsh fur against his skin, sharp teeth hovering over his neck. The red eyed wolf. He realised with a start. But before he could struggle or make a sound, he was knocked out.

. . .

He woke up again. This time in what looked like an abandoned building. He could make out a silhouette in the dark but that was it. No noise. Just a figure standing in the dark, faced towards him.

"I know it's you Chanyeol." Jongdae said. No hesitation in his voice. If he was gonna fight he'd have to go into it head on. 

He saw the figure move towards him and soon he was close enough for the moonlight to hit him the right way to reveal Chanyeol's face. "Nice to see you again, Jongdae." He had this menacing smile on but Jongdae could tell he was using it to mask his actual expression.

"Hey. As great as it is being tied up." Jongdae motioned towards his hands that were resting in his lap, tightly bound with a rope, "I'd like to go home now. So could you please let me go?" There was no harm in polite reasoning right?

Chanyeol laughed, again that annoyingly fake laughter, "That'd be no fun now would it? I know something better. How about we count how long does it take for your boyfriend to come get you." He leaned in close enough for it get uncomfortable.

"He's not my---" Jongdae stopped himself. "You know what. Nevermind." No use correcting him.

"Oh no. Go on please. You took off my courting gift because of him right? I'm actually very hurt. " He put his hand in his chest to exaggerate the mock hurt expression.

"I never knew what it was. You didn't tell me. Also maybe if you didn't use devious tactics to trap a mate you might've been able to find one already." Jongdae spat at him.

"Fuck you!" Chanyeol threw a hard punch aimed right at his face that effectively knocked him out.

. . .

This was the third time he woke up that night or was it day? He couldn't tell. All he could hear was a soft voice, ringing through his ears and someone stroking his hair lightly. It wasn't before Jongdae was lulled back to sleep.

. . .

"Xing?" He drifted out of sleep only to find soft hair hovering over him. Yixing was sitting next to him and had apparently dozed off.

"Huh?" His eyes fluttered open with a start, immediately going soft when he realised that Jongdae was up, "Hey. How're you feeling?"

"Like shit." There was a constant pain near the left side of his jaw.

Yixing brought his hand to his jaw to caress the swollen skin there. Jongdae winced a little but didn't say anything. "Listen, I'm not sure if you're gonna like this because I definitely do not like this. But it was everyone else's idea and there's not much an omega like me can do about---"

"Yixing, wait. Stop." Jongdae put a hand on his arm, "What are you going on about?"

As if to answer his question, the door opened to reveal Minseok coming in, "Oh, good. You're awake." Following him was a tall blonde that set every nerve inside Jongdae off. He felt Yixing tense beside him. 

"I was about to wake you up since this is important and it's best that you know as soon as possible." Minseok was calm as ever, "Chanyeol's is officially becoming a part of this pack."

Jongdae could help but let out a "What the heck?" This pack was made of people he had started to love and care for and even though he himself felt reluctant to become a part, he felt a strong attachment towards it.

Minseok smiled, patiently before nodding, "Junmyeon has found that in order to keep a rapid wolf calm, he'd need to be scented regularly. It helps to have the wolf recognise familiar surroundings and people around him and Chanyeol can't have that without a pack." He turned towards Chanyeol before saying, "Of course he'd have to follow the rules to be able to stay here."

"Such as we don't go after our packmate's mate!" Yixing growled aggressively.

"Yixing! We've already gone over this!" Minseok growled back, louder, more aggressive. "I expect all of you to behave and get the fuck along with each other." Minseok said before storming out of the room, followed by Chanyeol who seemed uncharacteristically docile and hadn't said a word throughout the entire conversation.

Jongdae turned towards Yixing, entangling his fingers with his. He could tell he was still fuming. "Hey." He tried to divert his attention from the door that the other two had disappeared from. "Yixing." No answer. "Babe~" He tried again. 

A smile broke through Yixing's serious demeanour. It was the first time he'd used to any pet name. Jongdae didn't know if they were at the stage to actually use pet name but it wasn't like they were going at the pace of a conventional relationship anyway.

"What was that?" Yixing was full on smiling now. There was a teasing glint in his eye. 

Jongdae groaned, "I'm not saying it again."

"Kim Jongdae, would you be the honey to my babe?" Yixing chuckled.

"Noooo that's so cringey. Please never say that again!" Jongdae hid his face in his hands before slowly bringing his hands down, "Although I think that being boyfriends work just fine."

Yixing bent over to kiss him, "I'm honoured."

. . .

Christmas was a loud and boisterous event at the pack house especially if you had Baekhyun and Yongsun belting out carols while Kyungsoo yelling instructions the younger ones as they helped him out in the kitchen. Jongdae excused himself out of the living room because he could see Chanyeol and Jongin making eyes at each other while they set up the tree together. It was painful to watch them be so thick headed and not make a move.

He made his way to the stairs before he was grabbed around the waist as someone sank into him from behind placing their chin on his shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to go buy some frosting?" Jongdae reprimanded, turning his he a towards Yixing's as it leaned over to him.

"It's Christmas day. What shops would possibly be open today? Maybe I just used that as an excuse so I could spend time with my boyfriend." He swayed Jongdae a little.

Jongdae hit him playfully, "No you did it because you wanted to get out of work. Now go back before Junmyeon decided to whop both of our asses." With that he sent him off.

Dinner was amazing. Jongdae might have cried a little at Minseok's dinner speech. Bawled his eyes out, according to Sehun. He'd never felt this moved by a group of people before. It made him think that he could bring his own scattered family together again. Sure, grandma was the binding force for them but they could still stick together in honour of her memory.

He wanted to bring everyone together, keep their bond going. Just like the way Junmyeon and Minseok brought everyone in the pack together. Most of the pack members were either lone wolves or wolves kicked out of their packs before the two alphas found them and created a family with them. Jongdae was envious. He really wanted something like that.

After dinner, it was time to open the presents but the young ones - Jongin, Hyejin and Sehun - sat down to tear each present open and claiming the ones they liked for themselves. Junmyeon let their brattiness slide for once as him and the rest sat down for some wine.

"Hey." Jongdae kissed Yixing's neck softly halfway through his drink, "You don't wanna know what I got for you?"

Yixing gave him a confused look, "You mean it's not in there?" he tilted his head towards the pile of boxes under the tree.

Jongdae bit his lip while shaking his head, "It's upstairs. In your room."

"Why aren't we going upstairs then?" Yixing immediately got up, dragging Jongdae with him, "We're just gonna head out for a bit." He stopped for a bit to say to everyone else in the room. Although no one was really paying them any mind.

"Where is it?" Yixing said as soon as they got into his room.

Jongdae made to lock the door stealthily before kicking off his shoes and climbing on the bed, "Right here." He gestured to himself, watching Yixing go from confused to embarrassed, "I've thought about it a lot. Mate or not I really care about you and if this something that makes you happy then I would do it in a heartbeat."

Yixing took careful steps towards him, cupping his face and bringing it closer to his until they were breathing the same air. "You sure about this? This is a big decision and we can always wait---"

"I love you Zhang Yixing and I swear to God if you don't mate me right now I'm walking out this door."

Yixing finally closed the distance for a kiss, "I love you too but please never say 'mate me' ever again."

x


End file.
